The U.S. military has deployed an anti-ship missile launcher for the first time on Batan Island in the Philippines, positioning the high-precision weapon on the northern edge of the archipelago, just across the sea from Taiwan.
In separate live-fire exercises on Sunday in Zambales province, which faces the disputed South China Sea, U.S. and Philippine forces successfully shot down several drones simulating hostile aircraft using missile and artillery fire.
These mock battle scenarios were part of the annual joint military exercises between the U.S. and the Philippines, known as Balikatan, which this year included over 9,000 American and 5,000 Filipino troops. Australian forces contributed with at least 260 personnel, and smaller delegations from Japan and other nations also observed the drills.
The exercises, staged near crucial geopolitical areas, have drawn sharp criticism from China, which sees them as provocative. Just days before the drills, a Chinese aircraft carrier group sailed close to Batanes, where the U.S. military had set up the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System on Batan Island, located near the Bashi Channel—an essential maritime route for both trade and military activity between the U.S. and China.
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